Kendrick Lamar Talks Sophomore Album

Kendrick Lamar isn't feeling the pressure to deliver with his sophomore album. The rapper says that his process of putting together a follow-up to good kid m.A.A.d. city is the exact opposite of stressful.

"I think it’s, like, fun, if anything, because it’s a challenge not only for myself, my fans, and just me creatively,” he told San Francisco radio station 106 KMEL during their Summer Jam concert last Sunday (June 8). “I think it’s more of an anxious type feeling 'cause this word ‘pressure’ was thrown around right before my [first] album. Every interview I was doing and seriously I didn’t feel it. I was like, ‘I’mma go out here and give it my best shot for what I know,' and I’mma do that the second time around.”

Not caving to outside influences paid off on Lamar's major label debut. Good k.i.d. m.A.A.d. city wentplatinum and earned him seven Grammy nominations. He attributes the success of the project to the Top Dawg Entertainment team among other things.

After years of grinding underground, it's no coincidence that the Southern California-based record label has become a dominate force in rap over the last couple of years. "I can't speak for other people, but I know we have real meetings," he explained of TDE's secret to success. "We been doing this for the past 17 years, really like grouping up and having meetings of what we gon' do. That helps. Communication helps all the way, as far as knowing each individual artist and what their goals are, and what they wanna' do."

The mutual respect between his label mates and a "good management" team helps in keeping "everything copacetic," Lamar added.

One topic Lamar didn't really elaborate on was an album release date. He would only say that the project is "in the process" but it's likely to drop sometime this year. TDE's president, Anthony Top Dawg" Tiffith, said last December that the label will release six albums in 2014.